It cannot be doubted that the right to bear arms was regarded as a substantive guarantee, not a prohibition that could be ignored

Obama's hometown downtown precincts are about to become a whole lot safer. SCOTUS has confirmed that its residents do indeed have the right to bear arms as per the Second Amendment and is set to overturn a 28 year ban on handguns in Chicago. I wonder what the Kenyan/Indonesian/Hawaiian will make of that?

Safer? Yessir, the would be punks will be dealt to by the citizenry in short order, implementing zero tolerance to crime.

Pity we don't have similar rights here in New Zealand. Future prisoners rightly should be worrying about more than whinging about their rights to smoke when incarcerated.

Eh? A black market? Let alone getting the goods to someone locked up in a supposedly secure establishment in the first place, just how is the prisoner going to smoke illicit goods without being smelt or setting off fire alarms?

No issues that I see. A captive audience, pun intended. Get stroppy whilst withdrawing. Zero tolerance, elevate punishments. There is always lockdown.

impact of secondhand smoke on corrections staff ... was one factor in the decision

What a load of bollocks. I wonder how many of the unionised smoke various dried materials?

And no, I did not participate, having ignored the exploratory email a couple of years ago. I do not trust any members of the professional studentry or otherwise (read lefties) fishing for personal data in so-called surveys. But as ever, always happy to wind up regular cold-calling suspects at 6pm of an evening with misinformation or random impertinences.

Friday, June 25, 2010

he travelled "excessively" as a minister and shouldn't have taken his partner with him as often as he did

Every trip I went on was important. ... But I shouldn't have been so willing to volunteer ...

More excuses. Another fake apology from a perennial trougher. Still trying to justify entitlement. The second scripted attempt. The third failed apology attempt in as many weeks. Inexcusable.

With a piss-weak boss who also deserves every bit of opprobrium coming for failing to decisively deal with you. Immediately sacking you was the only option.

I know you troughed with the best and spent my hard earnt taxes with gay abandon. The only reason you are attempting to apologise is because you were caught out by disclosure. Disclosure and transparency that should have been in place decades ago. Sadly it still has a long way to go.

I do not want more lame excuses justifying your stultifying arrogance of entitlement. I want you to gracefully resign without further ado or further cost to me as a taxpayer, banishing you and your troughing ilk from my Parliament.

Still, I do not expect you would be able to offer anything different. Like many in the House, as your whole premise is misrepresentation. Not only a politician, but some might say, also a fraud to your genes. Why else should I expect nothing but fakery?

A self professed mumbler reckons all should learn the footie version of the New Zealand anthem. Seems the kids in our schools have been taught two anthems of late. Mr Mumbler has taken it upon himself to promote the second version by writing to MPs.

For me (and a lot of others - see Stuff quiz today) there is and only will ever be one version of the New Zealand Anthem. It starts "God of Nations at Thy feet," and is totally in English. I totally cringe when alternatives are offered or tacked onto the New Zealand Anthem at formal ceremonies. Like the haka, the only place a dual anthem should be performed is on the footy paddock.

For those that pretend not knowing, the full anthem in English is below.

God of Nations at Thy feet, In the bonds of love we meet, Hear our voices, we entreat, God defend our free land. Guard Pacific's triple star From the shafts of strife and war, Make her praises heard afar, God defend New Zealand.

Men of every creed and race, Gather here before Thy face, Asking Thee to bless this place, God defend our free land. From dissension, envy, hate, And corruption guard our state, Make our country good and great, God defend New Zealand.

Peace, not war, shall be our boast, But, should foes assail our coast, Make us then a mighty host, God defend our free land. Lord of battles in Thy might, Put our enemies to flight, Let our cause be just and right, God defend New Zealand.

May our mountains ever be Freedom's ramparts on the sea, Make us faithful unto Thee, God defend our free land. Guide her in the nations' van, Preaching love and truth to man, Working out Thy glorious plan, God defend New Zealand.

Pita Sharples said significant property rights would flow from findings of customary title, which he described as a "full-blooded title" similar to fee simple, or freehold title

170 years of colonisation up the spout by one desperate to retain power at any price. As I have always said, the end game of these so-called customary rights is ownership. Nothing less.

In a shock decision, Hone Boy Key has reversed the founding document of New Zealand by pandering to the Maori Party cohorts. Well, not really a shock. It was always known the levels to which politicians would stoop. But it was never ever expected from the National Party.

A deed specifying the iwi has customary title to a particular coastal area, the right to permit or stop activities, a role in coastal planning, the right to obtain commercial benefit and whatever else the iwi negotiates with the Government.

New "universal recognition" recognises longstanding mana of iwi over foreshore and seabed and gives role in conservation projects

I await a new wave of local government usury and taxes in the name of foreshore conservation with a twist of native. Think the RMA stifles progress? You ain't seen nothing like what the power of veto will give. Oh yes, we'd be silly not to think that the veto could not be removed with the appropriate level of cash lubrication. Taxpayer and ratepayer cash, that is.

Absolute power? You thought the last incumbent was bad, this one is 100 times worse.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Whilst the 3x Liarbour MPs caught with their fingers in the expenses trough will not be having much in the way of gravy in the future, others are today neck deep in the grievance industry trough slurping the gravy.

The Maori Party and iwi leaders have met Prime Minister John Key to discuss replacement legislation for the Foreshore and Seabed Act but would not be drawn on any agreements reached

And the news is not good.

Maori Party co-leader Turiana Turia said the meeting "went well"

170 years ago this country was colonised, all became British subjects and beholden to the laws of the sovereign Mother Country.

Our bottom line is to our people, to whom we said we want repeal

Not so say those on the gravy train that is the Waitangi grievance industry. You see they want yet more 'full and final' settlements for ill-perceived injustices. To contest their ill-perceived right to own the foreshore and seabed. Unfortunately Hone Boy Key this very day will give it to them to retain political control of this country. With the weak Liarbour Opposition he can do no wrong.

Mr Key said he did not believe National would lose the Maori Party's support, whatever the outcome

New Zealand has gone a long way in the five short years since Orewa. A long way down into the apartheid abyss into which we are plunging at breakneck speed. Don Brash had it right, none since have had the balls to confront the problem.

Any resolution made will not be announced until 4pm, after Mr Key has had time to discuss it with senior ministers

Seems we will be told of the latest racist separatist deal at 1600 this arvo'. One wonders what the full and final will be this time?

Tuesday, June 08, 2010

The tossers in the bureaucracy that is Environment Southland have taken it upon themselves to determine national maritime regulations. They have introduced another unneeded bylaw to expand the bureaucracy requiring boats to be named with two inch high letters or ID number.

Environment Southland will introduce a bylaw on July 1 to make boats more easily identifiable in an emergency or for enforcement purposes

Unenforceable in the extreme. Who is going to enforce such greater-good laws? What next? Water Police to issue tickets for 49mm high letters? Once again ratepayers will stump up for ill-thought out laws.

Speeding boats? Call Mr Plod from his revenue gathering duties to capture and enforce. I remain convinced that there are more than enough bylaws to deal with boat racers and the like. We do not need more bylaws and regs by stealth. Next thing, some prick in Wellytown will pass a national law for small-boat registration next.

A murderer who shot a woman in the head at close range in an execution-like killing claims the act was a "momentary lapse"A murderer who shot a woman in the head at close range in an execution-like killing claims the act was a "momentary lapse"

And I always thought murder was premeditated. As opposed to manslaughter.

Not content with the big taxpayer pay packets Mr Plod gets, supposedly to keep boy racers in check without effect, I note the Revenue Men will be afoot this Queen's birthday on the public highways and byways to extract more from the cobwebs in your wallets. On overtime pay rates to boot.

Seems if you are the slightest bit over the speed limit, you will get a written extortion demand to contribute more taxes. No doubt with extra GST and an ETS component built in to over compensate for your excessive carbon usage whilst speeding. I wonder how long before Joe Motorist has to get his speedo certified? Another bureaucracy developing?Stop being a tax collector Mr Plod, get into some proper work working on real crime.

Wednesday, June 02, 2010

A potential game-changer has been signed off by the government. Good on them for getting the ball rolling for an exploratory survey.

An agreement to open a vast expanse of the coast to exploration for oil in the aftermath of a catastrophic spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a "bad joke," environmentalists say

The rub is that, as expected, the rabid tree-hugging ferals have surfaced denigrating the deal as a 'bad joke'. Who did I expect to be complaining before the ink was dry? The Greens and the EDS. I have not had to wait long. Both are frothing at full dribble this morning. And the granddaddy of them all, Greenpeace, is right in there mouthing off.

As an aside, I often wonder just how EDS is funded. The Greens, we know how that is funded - like all politicians - directly from Treasury via smoke and mirrors.

Greenpeace said there was simply no place for oil exploration here in the 21st century considering the environmental risks and the need to steer energy production in the direction of clean technologies

About Me

Semi-retired, enjoying the rural lifestyle, watching the grass grow and keeping a watchful eye, via my wireless connection at dialup speeds, on the world of rampant local and central government bureaucracy...